Half of the relay team for the Greenwich girls outdoor track team had made it to Nationals in North Carolina but strong storms at home kept the other athletes grounded at the airport, leaving the runners already at the meet wondering if they would even get the chance to run.

The runners still up north got into cars with their families and made the 560-mile drive, arriving at 2:30 the morning of the meet, leaving them a few hours to get some sleep before hitting the track for the biggest races of their lives.

"I am so happy we got to go but we went to bed in North Carolina not knowing if we would be able to even run because two runners had to drive down because of a huge storm," Greenwich senior Naomi Leeds said. "I can speak for the seniors and say that we were so happy to get to have such a great experience."

After a successful indoor season that saw the girls team break school records in the 4x200 and 4x400 and travel to both New Englands and Nationals, expectations for the relay teams were high going into the outdoor season, and the girls met those expectations and even surprised themselves with what they were able to accomplish.

The 4 x 100 team of Lindsey Noskin, Anna Black, Isabella Narvaez and Leeds became the first relay team in GHS history to break 50 seconds, running a 48.9 in the first meet of the season, setting the tone for a historic season.

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After sweeping the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 in every regular season meet, as well as at the FCIAC championships and taking the gold in the 4 x 100 at the State Class LL Championship meet, the 4 x 100 team lowered the record to 48.71 at the CIAC State Open championships, where they took the bronze medal.

At the 2013 New Balance Outdoor National Championships in North Carolina, after battling the elements just to arrive, the team performed better than it had all season, breaking several school records in the process.

"Track is a unique sport because it is so much about individuals but being on the relay makes it a team sport," Black said. "We had known we would have a successful relay team with the talent we had but once we got to Nationals it is all about the weeks of practicing handoffs and knowing we were prepared enough."

Freshman Anna Giannuzzi joined the 4 x 100 team (replacing Narvaez, who was traveling out of the country) that finished 12th.

Later, the team of Noskin, Black, Giannuzzi and Leeds finished 15th in the 4 x 200 relay, obliterating the old school record by over 11 seconds with a time of 1:47.13.

Not to be outdone, Noskin, Black, and Leeds were joined by senior captain Kathryn Bernstein, who anchored the sprint medley relay team that took eighth place and also shattered the old school record by over 11 seconds, crossing the finish line in 4:19.40.

Ending her highly successful career with such strong performances was all the Johns Hopkins-bound Leeds could hope for.

She said that her coaches, Evan Dubin, Mara Adelsberg and Mike McSherry, were the driving force behind the team's success.

"Dubin is such an ideal coach. He's calm and relaxed and knows how to train us and how to push us," Leeds said. "Mara is the perfect counterpart to Dubin and gives us so much mental support. Our new Coach McSherry brought so much knowledge being an All-American himself and we were all so thankful to have these three coaching us."

Black concurred, saying Dubin had to leave his pregnant wife and toddler at home to make the trip to Nationals with his team.

"Coach Dubin has a young child at home and another on the way and sacrificed so much for us," Black said. "Knowing how much time him and Coach Adelsberg and McSherry spend with the team, we wanted to show support for them because they gave so much to us."